Villanova announced Saturday afternoon it will sign 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo, a 19-year-old big man who withdrew from the NBA draft to preserve NCAA eligibility and is expected to join the Wildcats for the 2026–27 season.
Suigo arrives having played last season with Serbia’s Mega Basket, where he averaged 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 block across 26 games and 18.8 minutes per outing. The 7-foot-3 center posted efficient two-point shooting — 64.9% on 111 attempts — added a 27.1% mark on 48 three-point tries, and converted 64.7% of 34 free throws; he also measures a 7-foot-6 wingspan.
Villanova’s staff confirmed the signing on Saturday afternoon; the move immediately addresses a roster vacancy at center and gives head coach Kevin Willard a long-anticipated inside option for next season’s rotation.
Suigo’s decision follows a full draft process: he attended the combine and tested the NBA market before pulling his name from the pool by Saturday’s NCAA-preserving deadline. That withdrawal keeps the 19-year-old on a college path rather than turning professional in the U.S. this year.
Multiple high-profile programs pursued Suigo, and he reportedly considered signing with BYU before opting for Villanova. Recruiting interest also extended to Illinois, Indiana and Purdue, underlining why his availability was a national storyline once he entered the draft conversation.
The signing fills a concrete need for Villanova, which entered the offseason without a clear starter at center. Willard now gains a 7-foot-3 rim protector with professional experience overseas and the length and finishing ability that should slot him into immediate minutes in the frontcourt.
That said, the move carries an unresolved friction: Suigo withdrew from the NBA draft despite scouting projections that had placed him at the back end of the first round and into the second. He tested himself at the combine, then chose college basketball over the chance to be selected late on draft night — a decision that will be watched closely by evaluators and by Villanova’s roster planners.
Villanova’s announcement and Suigo’s roster status are clear; what remains undetailed are the terms that will define his arrival. The school and the player have not disclosed the specifics of any name, image and likeness arrangements, enrollment timing, or other financial details tied to his move back to the NCAA ranks.
Practically, the next steps are straightforward: Suigo must complete his enrollment and academic clearance before he can suit up, and Villanova must integrate him into summer work and preseason preparation ahead of the 2026–27 campaign. The unanswered — and now urgent — questions for Wildcats supporters are which on-court role Willard assigns him and how any off-court agreements will shape his availability and long-term tie to the program.
For now, Villanova has secured a rare combination of size, professional minutes and international experience in Suigo; the program’s immediate need at center is met, but the defining details of his arrival — the financial and roster mechanics that will determine how long he stays — remain the story’s open end.
